This day, as he and I together roade
Upon our way to which we weren bent,
We chaunft to come foreby a covert glade
Within a wood, whereas a ladie gent
Sate with a knight in ioyous iolliment
Of their franke loves, free from all gealous fpyes:
Faire was the ladie fure, that mote content
An hart not carried with too curious eyes,
And unto him did fhew all lovely courtesyes.
XVII.
Whom when my knight did fee fo lovely faire,
He inly gan her lover to envy,
And wish that he part of his fpoyle might share :
Whereto whenas my prefence he did fpy
To be a let, he bad me by and by
For to alight: but when as I was loth
My loves owne part to leave fo fuddenly,
He with ftrong hand down from his feed me throw'th,
And with prefumpteous powre against that knight freight go'th.
Unarm'd all was the knight; as then more meete
For ladies fervice and for loves delight,
Then fearing any foeman there to meete ;
Whereof be taking oddes, freight bids him dight
Himfelfe to yeeld his love or elfe to fight:
Whereat the other starting up difmayd,
Yet boldly anfwer'd, as he rightly might,
To leave his love he should be ill apayd,
In which he had good right gaynft all that it gainefayd.
Yet fince he was not presently in plight
Her to defend, or his to iuftifie,
He him requested, as he was a knight,
To lend him day his better right to trie,
Or ftay till he his armes, which were thereby,
Might lightly fetch: but he was fierce and whot,
Ne time would give, nor any termes aby,
But at him flew, and with his fpeare kim smet;
From which to thinke to fave himselfe it booted not,
Meanewhile his ladie, which this outrage faw,
Whileft they together for the quarrey ftrove,
Into the covert did herfelfe withdraw,
And clofely bid berfelfe within the
grove.
My knight hers foone, as feemes, to daunger drove
And left fore wounded: but when her he mist,
He woxe halfe mad; and in that rage gan rove
And range through all the wood, wherefo be wift
She hidden was, and fought her fo long as him lift.
XXI.
But whenas her be by no meanes could find,
After long fearch and chauff he turned backe
Unto the place where me he left behind:
There gan be me to curfe and ban, for lacke
Of that faire bootie, and with bitter wracke
To wreake on me the guilt of his owne wrong :
Of all which I yet glad to beare the packe
Strove to appease him, and perfwaded long ;
But fill his paffion grew more violent and frong.
Then as it were t'avenge his wrath on mee,
When forward we should fare, he flat refufed
To take me up (as this young man did fee)
Upon his fteed, for no iuft caufe accufed,
But forft to trot on foot, and foule mifufed,
Pounching me with the butt-end of his speare,
In vaine complayning to be fo abused;
For be regarded neither playnt nor teare;
But more enforft my paine, the more my plaints to heare.
So paffed we, till this young man us met ;
passed
And being moov'd with pittie of my plight
Spake, as was meet, for ease of my regret :
Whereof befell what now is in
your fight.
Now fure, then faid fir Calidore, and right
Me feemes, that him befell by his cwne fault :
Whoever thinkes through confidence of might,
Or through fupport of count'nance proud and bault,
To
wrong the weaker, oft falles in bis owne assault.
Then turning backe unto that gentle boy,
Which had himfelfe fo ftoutly well acquit;
Secing his face fo lovely fterne and coy,
And hearing th'anfweres of his pregnant wit,
He prayfd it much, and much admyred it;
That fure he weend him born of noble blood,
With whom thofe graces did fo goodly fit:
And when he long had him beholding ftood,
He burst into thefe wordes, as to him feemed good;
XXV.
Faire gentle fwayne, and yet as fout as fayre,
That in thefe woods amongst the nymphs doft wonne,
Which daily may to thy fweete lookes repayre,
As they are went unto Latonaes fonne
After his chace on woodie Cynthus donne :
Well may I certes fuch an one thee read,
As by thy worth theu worthily baft wonne,
Or furely borne of fome heroicke fead,
That in thy face appeares and gratious goodlyhead.
XXVI.
But fhould it not difplease thee it to tell
(Unleffe thou in thefe woods thyfelfe conceale
For love amongst the woodie gods to dwell)
I would thyfelfe require thee to reveale;
For deare affection and unfayned zeale
Which to thy noble perfonage I beare,
And wish thee grow in worship and great weale:
For fince the day that armes I first did reare,
I never faw in any greater hope appeare.
To whom then thus the noble youth; May be,
Sir knight, that by difcovering my eftate,
Harme may arife unweeting unto me;
Natheleffe, fith ye fo courteous feemed late,
To you I will not feare it to relate.
Then wote ye that I am a Briton borne,
Sonne of a king, however thorough fate
Or fortune I my countrie have forlone,
And loft the crowne which should my head by right adorne :
So taking counfell of a wife man red,
She was by him adviz'd to fend me quight
Out of the countrie wherein I was bred,
The which the fertile Lionele is hight,
Into the land of Faerie, where no wight
Should weet of me, nor worke me any wrong:
To whofe wife read fhe bearkning fent me freight
Into this land, where I have wond thus long
Since I was ten yeares old, now growen to ftature firong.
XXXI.
All which my daies I have not lewdly spent,
Nor Spilt the bloffome of my
In ydleffe; but as was convenient
Have trayned bene with many noble feres
In gentle theres and fuch like feemly leres :
Mong/t which my most delight bath alwaies been
To bunt the falvage chace amongst my peres
Of all that raungeth in the forrest greene,
Of which none is to me unknowne that ev'r was feene.
Ne is there hauke which mantleth her on pearch,
Whether high towring or accoafting low,
But I the measure of her flight dve fearch,
And all her pray and all her diet know:
Such be our ioyes which in thefe forrefts grow :
Onely the ufe of armes, which most I ioy,
And fitteth most for noble fwayne to know,
I have not tafted yet, yet paft a boy,
And being now high time thefe ftrong ioynts to imploy.
XXXIII.
Therefore, good fir, fith now occafion fit
Doth fall, whofe like hereafter feldome may,
Let me this crave, unworthy though of it,
That ye will make me fquire without delay,
That from henceforth in batteilous array
I may
beare armes, and learne to use them right;
The rather fince that fortune hath this day
Given to me the Spoile of this dead knight,
Thefe goodly gilden armes which I have won in fight.
XXXIV.
All which when well fir Calidore had heard,
Him much more now then earft he
gan admire,
For the rare hope which in his yeares appear'd,
And thus replide; Faire chyld, the high defire
To love of armes, which in you doth afpire,
may But rather wish that fome more noble hire (Though none more noble then is chevalrie) I had you to reward with greater dignitie.
not certes without blame denie;
There him he caufd to kneele, and made to sweare
Faith to his knight, and truth to ladies all,
And never to be recreant for feare
Of perill, or of ought that might befall:
So he him dubbed, and his Squire did call.
Full glad and ioyous then young Triftram grew;
Like as a flowre, whofe filken leaves fmall
Long shut up in the bud from heavens vew,
At length breaks forth, and brode difplayes his fmyling hew.
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